Foot-In-Shoe traveled along the dirt road and passed thrugh village after village
that looked so poor he did not even consider stopping to beg for food. Nightfall
found him in a wooded area and he bedded down in a grove of pine trees near a slow
flowing stream. He ate the last of several rice cakes that Big Mouth had sent him
off with and drank water from the nearby creek. Before drifting off to sleep he
composed one verse:

summer night breeze

pine boughs lazily

brush the stars

In the morning Foot-In-Shoe was awoke by raucous sounds coming in the direction
of the road. Cautiously he made his way towards the road. Hiding behind bushes he
could see two men punching and kicking a yellow robed monk. “This is so wrong,” thought
Foot-In-Shoe. He looked around and found a stick that would serve as a club. Then
quickly he stripped himself of all his clothes and smeared his face and body with
dirt. With club in one hand and a rock in the other he let out a blood curdling scream
and rushed from his hiding place. The two men who were pummeling the fallen monk
looked up and froze at the sight of Foot-In-Shoe racing full speed right at them
screaming and waving his stick. Then Foot-In-Shoe threw his rock hitting one of them
painfully on the shoulder. Suddenly they both emerged from their stunned condition
and they took off running. The monk struggled to a sitting position and watched
Foot-In-Shoe jump and scream till his two assailants had disappeared from sight.
Foot-In-Shoe panting heavily sat down next to the monk.

“You chased away my attackers, madman,” said the astonished monk.

“I’m not mad,” replied Foot-In-Shoe.

“That’s what all madmen say,” said the monk.

“I’m not mad,” repeated Foot-In-Shoe.

“That’s what all madmen say,” said the monk again.

Foot-In-Shoe sighed and said, “Oh monk, look beyond the surface and into the
essence of things. Then he waded into the stream and washed off the dirt. Back on
land he put on his clothes and retrieved his belongings and rejoined the monk by
the creek bank.

“ So tell me monk, why were those men beating you?”

“They came to me saying they were desperate, hungry and I should give them all
the alms I had collected. I told them I had no money but I had the secret for never
needing money again. After I told them the secret they beat me.”

Foot-In-Shoe looked directly at the monk and asked, “So what is the secret for never
needing money?”